A large highway billboard that recently went up along the QEII east of Bowden is creating quite a stir for the Central Alberta community.
The billboard from AmericaFund.ca urges Albertans to lobby Premier Danielle Smith to help make Canada the 51st state and join the United States of America. It features a photo of Smith beside U.S. President Donald Trump that was taken during Smith's visit to Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in mid-January.
To the displeasure of many Canadians, Trump has continued his push in recent weeks to see Canada become the 51st state.
Bowden Mayor Robb Stuart says he immediately went out to see the billboard for himself when he heard about it this week and was shocked at what he saw.
"I knew what was going to happen. It had nothing to do with the town in any way, shape or form but because it's in proximity to the town, everybody thinks that we endorsed it and we had no knowledge of it," he stated.
Stuart said this type of situation happens quite often with billboards that are situated along the highway.
He compared the current billboard with a situation in 2021 during the pandemic when Bowden was vilified across the country for the 'No More Lockdowns' rodeo which took place on land situated near the town. Stuart says the rodeo had nothing to do with the Town of Bowden.
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According to the mayor, the town office has "probably received hundreds of emails" about the new billboard, many of which he says are "very offensive".
The town has received comments from Canadians asking how they could let this happen, with many people indicating that they would no longer support local businesses on their way through the community.
"People don't realize that it's not the town," emphasized Stuart. "I've spoken to the Spot Ads people, and they said they regret what happened, but they don't limit freedom of expression."
Stuart says the provincial government is aware of it but there is nothing they can do as the billboard is situated on private land.
He would have preferred it if Spot Ads, the company that owns the billboard, had advised the town about the content of the ad before it went up. Stuart says the owner of the land has also taken quite a bit of heat.
"It impacts our town negatively," remarked Stuart. "It is not fair to the town."
Bowden is located in Red Deer County, approximately 45 km south of Red Deer.
Alberta-based Spot Ads says that the client that booked the ad confirmed that funding came from private individual supporters in Alberta with no union or corporate support.
"This is important as it relates to Canadians participating in the liberty of freedom of speech," said the company in a written statement.
The company says that they believe that all Canadians should have access to the freedoms guaranteed under the Charter.
"Spot Ads does not discriminate against any party seeking to participate in the individual liberty of advertising, unless it violates the rights outlined in the Charter," the statement added.
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